USA Match Reaction | Whither the Width?

I know I'm late on this one, so I'm just going to throw a handful of darts at the already-pockmarked board and see what sticks, alright?

* Where were the fullbacks? What is the point of playing with two holding mids and wingers pinching in if your fullbacks aren't going to be rampaging down the flanks to provide width in the attack? I guess maybe Bradley decided to tell them to get forward in the second half, which Hejduk did to good effect (still wish he was miles more technical though), though Pearce didn't seem to get the memo, leading to the yanking of his lazy ass. Still, the spot must have been cursed because Beasley didn't get forward enough either. I lost count of the number of times that a player inside took a look out to the flank, hoping for an outlet or to feed a runner, and found nothing but acres of empty space. Dear Bob: fix this please.

* Long ball madness! Does Califf have another pass in his arsenal besides the dump over the top? Not that it's entirely his fault. With no width to speak of coming from the fullbacks, Ching boasting limited mobility, and Donovan often too deep to stretch the defense, there really wasn't much midfield space to play in. This is where we would benefit from having either (1) rampaging fullbacks to pull defenses wide, (2) intelligent pace up top that knows how and when to make runs that pull defenses apart, or (3) honest to goodness wingers that stay wide and run at defenders.

* Can I get a billboard too? What the hell was up with USL and Miami FC claiming all the signboards? Is it El Salvador or CONCACAF that's selling those signs? I know the global economy is a wounded beast, but sheesh! Wonder if I can drop a couple of bucks for a nice "Fullback Files" Salvadoran advertising campaign. Also: the sirens. Stop them. Likewise with the screaming and diving and rolling about behavior from the guys in blue shirts.

* More Torres? Good showing from the kid. I liked his confidence and quick touches, particularly in contrast with the often wasteful Kljestan who seemed unable to decide between taking too many touches, trying impossible through balls, or playing it safe with the horizontal or backwards passing. Maybe Kljestan just had an off day, but can we see more of Torres against T&T, please?

* Thank Jeebus for small miracles. We had a decent ref who had little patience for time-wasting shenanigans and diving. The question is, now that we've had a good outing from a CONCACAF ref, does that mean we're going to get absolutely jobbed next time around?

So it is what it is. One point instead of three, but still not a loss. The late comeback will provide positive momentum, and we had to expect a few dropped points on our travels at some point. As long as we win the home games and manage a few points on the road, we'll be fine. Still, I would have liked a more aggressive approach from the onset, particularly from the fullbacks. If we hadn't given the Salvadorans time on the ball and pressured them from the off, both with and without the ball, I don't think they play with the confidence they did.